Citi Open Champion Reveals Mystery Date Plans as US Open Swing Throws in a Twist

Tennis demands a relentless rhythm, clay to grass, then into the brutal US hard-court gauntlet, a stretch packed with six pivotal events, including two Masters 1000s, leaving little room for anything beyond survival and performance. Personal moments vanish in that grind, yet Canada’s newest Citi Open champion, Leylah Fernandez, just shattered that notion with her own twist. Fresh from her victory at the WTA 500 Mubadala Citi DC Open in Washington, D.C., where the 22-year-old demonstrated a seamless transition to hard courts, she confidently announces her unconventional date plans before returning to the demanding US Open circuit.

World No. 36 Leylah Fernandez stormed past 48th-ranked Anna Kalinskaya 6-1, 6-2 in a hard-court final that felt more like a statement than a match, capturing her fourth career WTA singles crown. In just 1 hour and 9 minutes, she outran the moody Washington skies, sealing history as the first Canadian woman ever to claim the city’s title.

The 2021 US Open finalist had endured a quiet spell since lifting her last trophy in Hong Kong back in October 2023, with her most recent final over a year ago on Eastbourne’s grass against Daria Kasatkina. Now, before heading home for her hometown event and then Cincinnati, she let slip her unusual date plans, an echo of tennis’s merciless schedule.

Speaking to Tennis Channel after her triumph, Fernandez delivered a candid glimpse into the tug-of-war between ambition and life beyond the court. “Honestly, I told my date that we might have to push it back a little bit because I’m still in D.C., so hopefully, maybe at the end of Montreal, I get to have that date finally. But, you know, we’ve been talking, we’ve been keeping in touch to hopefully schedule it at the end of Montreal before going to Cincy,” she said, her words weaving the picture of a player chasing titles while clutching rare moments of normalcy.

(The story continues…)